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Biomedical subjects

A R Elkington

Publications and source records attributed to A R Elkington.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

The cataract explosion: the changing pattern of diagnoses of patients attending an ophthalmic outpatient department.

An outpatient diagnostic index was used to analyse data relating to a sample of new patients attending the Southampton Eye Hospital in 1979 and 1986. Our main findings are an increased demand for cataract surgery by an increasingly aged population and a trend towards operating on cataracts at an earlier stage in their development. These and other results are discussed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Ofloxacin compared with chloramphenicol in the management of external ocular infection.

The safety and efficacy of 0.3% ofloxacin in treating bacterial ocular infections was compared with that of 0.5% chloramphenicol in a parallel-group, randomised clinical trial at five sites. Clinical and microbiological improvement rates were studied in 84 culture-positive patients. Patients with suspected bacterial ocular infections were evaluated for clinical improvement and were included in drug safety and comfort analyses. Clinical improvement did not differ significantly between drug treatments. All patients completing the study (79 assigned ofloxacin, and 74 chloramphenicol) showed clinical improvement. Clinical improvement in the culture-positive groups was 100% (41/41) after ofloxacin treatment, and 95% (41/43) after chloramphenicol treatment. Microbiological improvement rates were similar for the two drugs: 85% (33/39) improved with ofloxacin, and 88% (38/43) improved with chloramphenicol. Both drugs were well tolerated. Adverse reactions possibly due to the study medication occurred in 1% (1/89) of those who received ofloxacin, and in 4% (4/93) of those who received chloramphenicol.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

More than meets the eye: a study of the time lost from work by patients who incurred injuries from corneal foreign bodies.

A prospective study was carried out to establish the time lost from work due to corneal foreign body injury. Data were collected over a 5 month period on a total of 504 patients attending a busy district hospital eye casualty department. The median time lost through injury was 4 hours and 148 patients (30%) took no time off work. Corneal foreign bodies are known to be painful injuries but in spite of this few patients take more than half a day off work.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1990

The structure of the lamina cribrosa of the human eye: an immunocytochemical and electron microscopical study.

The structure of the lamina cribrosa was studied by histological and immunocytochemical techniques and by scanning and transmission electron microscopy in four eyes removed surgically and in 21 normal eyes obtained from an eye bank. Dissection of the eyes emphasised the relatively fragile links between lamina and sclera. Reticulin staining of the fibrous trabeculae in the posterior (scleral) part of the lamina revealed a structure composed of interweaving skeins of collagen fibres frequently arranged tangentially around the canals, 40-220 microns in diameter, through which optic nerve axons pass. Immunocytochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein demonstrated the intimate web that astrocyte processes form around axons within the canals of the lamina and the close association of astrocyte processes and fibrous trabeculae in the posterior part of the lamina. Scanning electron microscopy clearly demonstrated anatomical relationships of the lamina cribrosa and the wide variation in the size of the canals in the lamina. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the close association of astrocyte processes with axons demonstrated in the immunocytochemical preparations. The results of this study emphasise the complex relationships between astrocytic, neural and fibrous elements in the lamina cribrosa and how more information is required regarding the mechanical and metabolic properties of the astrocyte web and the fibrous trabeculae before the role of the lamina cribrosa in the pathogenesis of nerve damage in glaucoma can be fully assessed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Problems encountered in recruiting patients to an ophthalmic drug trial.

Two clinical trials to assess the efficacy of two topical beta-blocker preparations involved the recruitment of 60 and 40 patients respectively. The greatest obstacle encountered in carrying out the trials was recruiting patients. This difficulty is reported in detail and comparisons are made with the experience of others who have met similar problems.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗